Internal-combustion engine



April 8, 1930. R. WARE' 1,753,226

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed May 24, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l glwumdozI are,

R. WARE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed May. 24, 1927 2 Sheets-SheetPatented Apr. 8, 1 930 STATES RAYMOND WARE, or

I'IHACA, NEW YORK rurrnrm an-comnusrron ENGINE Application filed May 24,

This invention relates to engines of the sleeve valve type, particularlyto internal combustion engines having a single sleeve valve which, inaddition to rotation, receives a relatively slight reciprocation,although certain features of the mechanism are adapted for use inengines in which the sleeve valve rotates only.

Mechanism for imparting both movements to sleeve valves are disclosed inmy prior Patents, No. 1,107,468 of August 18, 1914, and No. 1,453,815 ofMay'l, 1923, and the present invention comprises an improved mechanismfor accomplishing the same purpose, especially in radial type engines.It is particularly applicable to radial engines of aircraft, owing toits compactness, simplicity, durability and lightness.

\ The improvement will now be described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, illustrating an embodiment of the invention in amulticylinder radial air-cooled engine. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section through one cylinder and thecrank case;

Fig. 2 is a side view on a larger scale, taken at right angles to Fig.1, of one cylinder SllOW-' ing the cylinder head in section and the topof the crank case only, and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on theline 3-3 of Fig. 2.

As shown in theseviews, the cylinder 1 is provided with cooling fins 2,as is the cylinder head 3, carrying the spark plugs 4 and having a skirt5, fitting in the sleeve valve 10. The skirt 5 is cut away on one side,as shown by lines 6 in Fig. 2 and, as appears more clearly in Fig. 3,the cut-away portion exposes the cylinder inlet port 7 and exhaust port8. As shown, see Fig. 3, these ports are located 180 apart, but this isnot essential. The head is internally hemispherical, as shown at 9, andconstitutes the combustion chamber.- This type of cylinder head formsthe subject matter of another application for patent filed by me onSeptember 19, 1924, as Serial No. 7 38,- 622, now Patent No. 1,657,490,and its advantages, therefore, need not be set forth at length herein. 1

The piston 11 is connected by the rod 12 to 1927. Serial no. 193,939.

the crank throw 13 of the crank shaft 14, journaled in the crank case15. The pistons in the other cylinders, which may be from 3 to 9 innumber, are also connected to said crank throw in the usual manner.

In the crank case, adjacent and parallel to the crank throw 13, isfitted a bearing sup porting plate 16, and a web 17 projects in wardlyfrom the conical front plate 38 of the crank parallel to said bearingplate, to carry additional bearings, to be later described. Eachcylinder flange 18 is secured to the crank case by studs 19 and, at onepoint, between said flange and the crank case the flattened stem 20 of ajournal pin 21 is clamped by the stud 22. On each of said pins and in arecess in each cylinder wall is rotatably mounted a roller 23,constituting part of the means for reciprocating the sleeve valves 10.The periphery of the plate 16 is clamped between the end of the crankcase and the front plate 38. Each sleeve valve, which has a single port39, is enlarged or flanged at its inner end, the

rear shoulder of said enlargement or flange constituting a substantiallyflat helical cam surface 24, on which the roller 23 bears. The peripheryof said flange slopes inwardly and downwardly from the outer edge ofsaid surface 24 to form an inclined or conical cam surface 25"having asimilar helical inclination as the surface 24. The extreme inner end ofeach sleeve valve is provided with bevel gear teeth 26, which also havea similar helical inclination as the cam surfaces 24 and 25.Peripherally journaled in the plate 16 is a large ring'gear 27, providedwith bevel teeth 28 in mesh with the teeth 26; with a concentric conicalcam roller surface 29 in engagement with the cam surface 25, and withinternal gear teeth 30, by. which it is driven. A pinion 31 meshes withsaid teeth 30, and fast on the driving shaft 32 of the same is a gear33, meshing with an idler 34, which, in turn, meshes with and is drivenby a pinion 35, fast on the crank shaft 14. The I shaft 32 of pinion 31,which constitutes the axles of gear 33, and the hub of the idler 34, arecarried in ball bearings 36, mounted in the plate 16 and in the web 17,respectively.

The ratio of the gearing, just described, is such that the large ringgear 28 rotates at onesixth the speed of the crank-shaft, and said ringgear 28, being three times the diameter of the valve bevel gear 26, thesleeve valves are driven at one-half the speed of the crankshaft, sothat said valves make one complete rotation for four strokes of thepiston. Obviously the gear train may be varied, if desired, providedthat the valves rotate at one half the speed of the crank shaft. All thevalve-actuating mechanism, being enclosed in the crank-case, isperfectly lubricated by the oilsplashed thereon by the crank. The camsurfaces 25, '29, and 24 receive oil through the meshing teeth 26 and28.as do the bear ings of the rollers 23. The sleeve valves are providedwith openings 37, through which oil passes between them and the cylinderwalls. The cylinders can be removed, with their valves, by removing thenuts from the studs in the crank case and the plate 16, with the gearingcarried thereby, can be removed from the crank case after the frontplate 38 is taken off, to give access to the intermediate gearing, ifnecessary. There are no outside moving parts, and the overall dimensionsof the engine for a given power are materially reduced. The ring gears26, 28, may have spur teeth instead of bevel, if desired. If the sleevevalves are to rotate without any re ciprocation, the cam surfaces 24 and25 and the bevel ring gear 26 do not have any helical inclination butrun at right angles to the axis of their respective cylinders, as willbe obvious.

Having described the invention what is claimed is:

1. A radial engine having a sleeve valve in each c linder, each valvehaving a flat and a conical cam surface and gear teeth on its inner end,a driving gear in the crank case in mesh with said gear teeth and havinga conical roller surface in engagement with said conical cam surfaces,and a guide mounted on the inner end of each cylinder and engaging saidflat cam surface of the corresponding valve.

2. A radial engine having a sleeve valve in each cylinder, each valvehaving a flat and a conical cam surface and gear teeth on its inner end,said surfaces and teeth running obliquely to a plane at right angles tothe valve and cylinder axis, a common driving gear, operativelyconnected to the engine crank shaft, meshing with said teeth and havinga conical rollersurface in engagement with said conical cam surfaces,and a'roller journalled in each cylinder-wall and bearing on the fiatcam surface of the corresponding valve.

3. In a radial cylinder engine having a single sleeve Valve in eachcylinder, each valve having a bevel ring gear and a conical cam surfaceon its inner end, said surface and the pitch line of said gear runningat an oblique angle to a plane at right angles to the axis of the valve,a single driving gear in mesh with all of said ring gears and having aconcentric conical roller surface engaging all of said conical camsurfaces, means to maintain said gears in mesh and said surfaces incontact, and means operatively connecting said driving gear to theengine crank shaft.

4. in an internal combustion engine, the combination with the crankshaft and the cylinder having inlet and exhaust ports, of a singleported sleeve valve, in said cylinder, a substantially conical and asubstantialy flat cam surface on the lower end of said valve, a'ringgear on said end, a-roller journalled in the cylinder wall and engagingsaid fiat cam surface, a driving gear in the crank case in mesh withsaid ring gear and having a conical roller surface engaging said conicalcam surface, and means to drive said driving gear from said crank shaft.

5. In a radial engine, the combination with a plurality of cylinders anda common crank throw; of a driving gear operatively connected to saidcrank throw and having a conical roller surface on its periphery; asleeve valve in each cylinder carrying gear teeth in mesh with saiddriving gear, a conical cam surface on each of said sleeves engagingsaid conical roller surface on said gear, each of said valves having asubstantially flat cam surface adjacent said conical cam s rface; aroller mounted on a fixed pivot at the inner end of each cylinder andengaging said substantially flat cam surface.

6. In a radial sleeve valve engine, means to rotate the valves,comprising gear teeth on the lower ends of the same, a bearing platefitted in the crank case, a driving ring gear j ournaled at itsperipheryin said plate and meshing with said teeth, a pinion fast on thecrank shaft and connections between said pinion and said gear.

7. In a radial sleeve valve engine, the combination with the cylinders,crank-shaft and crank case, of a bearing plate mounted in the crankcase, an internal gear peripherally journaled in said plate and carryingexternal bevel teeth; a conjugate ring gear on the enlarged end of eachsleeve valve, a roller for each valve bearin g on the back of itsenlarged end, a journal pin for each roller secured between therespcctive cylinder and the crank case, a pinion on the crank shaft,gearing intermedlate said pinion and said internal gear, and journalbearings for said gearing carried by said plate.

8. In a radial cylinder engine, a single r0- tary and reciprocatorysleeve valve in each cylinder having a thickened inner end provided onone side with a substantially flat cam surface and on the other sidewith gear teeth and a conical cam surface, a roller for each valvejournaled on a fixed support and engaging said fiat cam surface,'a ringgear journaled in the crank case, meshlng with said teeth and having aconcentric'conical roller surface at its periphery engaging said conicalcam surfaces, and gearing operatively connecting said ring gear with thecrank shaft.

9. In a radial cylinder engine, the combin a tion with a sleeve valve ineach .cylinder, of a ring gear on the inner end of each valve, thelatter being also provided with a conical cam surface adjacent said ringgear and with a substantially fiat cam surface adjacent said conicalsurface, a driving gear in mesh with all of said ring gears, saiddriving gear be around its inner end; a ring driving gear in mesh withsaid gear teeth of all the valves, whereby the latter are rotated, andmeans associated with said ring gear and said valvesto reciprocate thelatter during their rotation.

11. In a radial type internal combustion engine, the combination of asleeve'valve in each cylinder, each valve having gear teeth and two camsurfaces on its inner end, a driving gear in mesh with said teeth andhaving a rollerfsurface engaging one of said cam crank ease meshing withsaid ring gear and having a conical roller surface contacting with saidconical surface on the valve, and means to drive said driving gear fromthe crank shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RAYMOND WARE.

surfaces of each of said valves, and a guide' surface on the base ofeach cylinder adapted to engage the other of said valve cam surfaces.

12. In a radial engine, the combination with the cylinders, pistons,crank shaft and crank case,of'a sleeve valve in each cylinder, gearteeth and a cam surface on the inner end of each valve, a supportingflange plate in the crank case, a driving gear mounted on said plate andmeshing with said gear teeth, a surface on said gear engaging said camsurfaces, a nemovable front plate on the end of the crank case, gearingbetween the crank shaft and said driving gear, and bearings for saidgearing in said flange and front plates.

13. In an internal combushion engine of the radial type, the combinationwith the crank case, of a supporting plate mounted therein, a commonvalveoperating gear mounted concentricall' on said plate, and means fordriving said gear from the crank shaft.

14. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with the crankshaft and a cylinder having inlet and exhaust ports, of a sleeve valvein said cylinder having a substantially conical and a substantially flatcam surface at one end, a ring gear on said end, a guide at the base ofthe cylinder to engage said flat cam surface, a driving gear in the

